2026 Fantasy Football: Players on the move this offseason led by Breece Hall, George Pickens & Kyle Pitts

There were some huge changes in the NFL in 2025, starting with the teams that made the playoffs. Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs? Out. Lamar Jackson's Ravens? Out. Jared Goff's Lions? Baker Mayfield's Buccaneers? Out and out.

Change is constant in our favorite sports league, and it doesn't just happen from September to January. It definitely happens during the offseason when teams go through the processes of free agency, acquiring players through trade, settling their respective salary caps, and drafting new players.

It has long been a core belief of mine that staying on top of offseason moves is a must for serious Fantasy Football managers. Casuals will save some articles or swipe through social media threads and think they're up to speed on all that goes on during an offseason, but die-hard managers will keep tabs on every team and every player with the intention of understanding what it means for the upcoming season. At minimum, paying attention during the offseason will make drafting a heck of a lot easier.

This is the first step. Each position will have all the players who could change teams this offseason, along with the guys who will have some major incentive to earn a fresh new deal, plus a short list of 2026 draft prospects. It's a lot of names, which is why saving the list and keeping tabs on them is what will help you be ready for drafts many, many, many months from now. 

Quarterbacks

Seven teams with expected starting job competitions as of now: 

Browns, Cardinals, Dolphins, Jets, Raiders, Steelers, Vikings

Biggest names to watch for: Daniel Jones, Kyler Murray, Fernando Mendoza 

Jones figures to rehab his torn right Achilles this offseason while sticking with the Colts for at least one more season. I have no idea where Murray will end up, but he always finds a way onto Fantasy rosters. The right fit with the right playcaller could be what Murray needs to break his four-year slump of averaging under 21 Fantasy points per game. Mendoza is expected to be the Raiders' starting quarterback.

Keep an eye out for: Malik Willis 

The fifth-year passer will draw attention as a potential starter because of his own dual-threat skill set and because of the lack of other viable starting QBs. In three starts with Green Bay, he scored 15, 27.4, and 33.5 Fantasy points.

Running backs

11 teams with expected starting job competitions as of now: 

Cardinals, Chiefs, Commanders, Cowboys, Jaguars, Jets, Panthers, Saints, Texans, Titans, Vikings

Biggest names to watch for: Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III, Travis Etienne, Javonte Williams 

All four running backs are scheduled to be free agents. Are any of them in line to land a deal equal to what Kyren Williams signed last August (three years, $11 million per year on average, $23 million guaranteed)?

Keep an eye out for: Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason 

Both are potential cap casualties whom the Vikings can move on from. Both could offer one-year stop-gaps for teams that opt to go cheap at the running back position. Both also have plenty of experience working in the offensive scheme that Kyle Shanahan's father made famous and has since sprouted across the league. They could be in mild demand, but whoever replaces them in Minnesota might be a huge Fantasy winner.

Wide receivers

Seven teams with expected starting job competitions for WR1 as of now: 

Bills, Browns, Colts, Patriots, Raiders, Steelers, Titans

Biggest names to watch for: George Pickens, Wan'Dale Robinson, Alec Pierce, Mike Evans, Jauan Jennings 

The Cowboys have hinted that they intend to franchise tag Pickens, and the Colts could do the same with Pierce. We'll see how the other three receivers fare if they hit the open market.

Keep an eye out for: Tyreek Hill 

32-year-old receivers coming off an ACL injury typically don't bounce back, but if Hill somehow retains his ludicrous speed, then teams will give him a chance if the Dolphins make him available. One such possibility: Kansas City.

Tight ends

Nearly half the league is expected to have some sort of competition for their respective TE1 jobs 

No point in listing them all, but keep an eye on what the Bengals and Patriots wind up doing.

Biggest names to watch for: Kyle Pitts, Isaiah Likely, Dallas Goedert 

Did Pitts show enough in the second half of 2025 to make coaches forget about much of his first three-plus years in the league? Has Likely shown enough outside of a few splash games? Does a 31-year-old Goedert have enough left in the tank to contribute?